Second ‘Captain America’ a step up

April 16, 2014 - Pam Rodgers

I have a soft spot for superhero movies. Especially the latest string of films based on the Avengers team from the Marvel comic book universe.

The whole saga began in 2008 with the first “Iron Man” movie, and I have seen every film since then. I even saw the mediocre yet better than the Eric Bana version “The Incredible Hulk.”

The latest installment just hit theaters two weekends ago. I, of course, speak of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” I quite enjoyed the movie, and it was a nice addition to the Marvel franchise.

When I saw the first “Captain America” movie, I liked it but it wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t near the movie that the original “Iron Man” is, but it was a clever way to get the idealist superhero of the 40s into today’s world.

Like “Thor: The Dark World,” the second CA film is set after “The Avengers” movie. The Captain is trying to find a place in this world since he had to fast forward the last 70 years. That’s easily solved once the action sets in and the Winter Soldier emerges as the villain. A lot happens by the end of this movie, and I would hate to spoil it for anyone. Suffice it to say that by the end, the movie has set the scene for the “Avengers 2.”

There are two extra scenes at the end of the film. One pops up midway through the credits and the other is at the end.

The clip at the end may be important later, especially if the Winter Soldier will resurface at some point. Overall, it didn’t seem worth hanging out in the theater for. It’s something you can check out on the Blu-ray later.

The other scene will probably come into play during the “Avengers” movie. I really didn’t know what it was trying to set up. I guess I’ll have to wait and see to be sure.

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*I do want to make sure that readers understand I know there are a lot of Marvel hero movies out there right now, not just with the Avengers crew. In the blog, I am referring to the movies that come directly from Marvel Studios and distributed by Disney (and Paramount from 2008-2011). So not X-Men or Spiderman. I enjoy those movies too but there is something really special about the movies that come directly from Marvel. I’m sure I’m forgetting something and you can Google that if you really want to know. Shoot me an email if I’m missing something important — prodgers@timesrepublican.com.